MONROE - In a facilities study presentation Monday, Plunkett Raysich Architects LLP and CG Schmidt informed the Monroe school board that the district has $91.3 million in maintenance needs within the next 10 years.
However, the two Milwaukee-based firms classified a $1.69 million portion as urgent and another $72.89 million as needing to be repaired within two to five years. The maintenance needs were ranked on a timeline of four options: urgent, two to five years, six to 10 years, or 10 or more years.
"The list that has been identified in the facilities study is comprehensive," Monroe District Administrator Rick Waski said. "The district knows it's not feasible to do all of these projects."
The district has formed a facilities study advisory committee with community members, teachers, administrators and school board members Jim Plourde and Rich Deprez. The committee will meet the first and third Wednesdays each month for the next several months to prioritize the maintenance projects and determine whether the district needs to pursue a referendum in November.
"The facilities study committee will make a recommendation to the board after they get feedback from the community and reach a consensus," Waski said.
Plunkett Raysich Architects and CG Schmidt spent several months documenting maintenance issues at each school building and looking at the educational-space needs at each school. The companies documented each area that was deficient for each school and gave three levels of renovations and concept projects to repair them, along with an in-depth cost estimate report.
Two problems across schools in the district are HVAC systems and providing a safe and monitored entrance.
"The one common thread and issue with a lot of the buildings is having a secure main entrance," Waski said.
With old unit vents, air handlers and pneumatic controls at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School, CG Schmidt advised the district do a major energy maintenance HVAC remodel in the near future. Options include a variable refrigerant flow system or a new four-pipe uni-vent system with controls with an estimated cost of $2.1 million. Eric Schmidt, vice president of CG Schmidt, also recommended the district replace the air conditioner at Parkside Elementary School.
"There are ongoing concerns about moisture and air movement," Schmidt said. "Just replacing the uni-vents won't address those concerns."
The main renovation design options developed for each school include three phases of renovations. The district may choose to complete all, some or none of the upgrades based on the facilities study committee's recommendation. CG Schmidt also looked at each school's roof and flooring to target potential estimates for future replacements.
Steven Kieckhafer, an architect who deals with educational spacing needs for Plunkett Raysich Architects, interviewed each principal in the district and talked with district administrators about their educational needs and the targeted and optimal class sizes in each school based on educational space planning standards.
For Abe Lincoln, Kieckhafer said the targeted class size for kindergarten through fifth grade is 22 students and the optimal class size is 20 students. In the district's three elementary schools, Kieckhafer said the enrollment is at 970 students, while the optimal capacity is 876 students and the max capacity is 982 students.
"You are at capacity in many cases and right at the edge of maximum capacity," Kieckhafer said of the elementary schools. "You don't have classroom space for growth."
Kieckhafer said there are no capacity issues at the high school and middle school.
"This is telling me we have extra space at the high school," he said. But more than half of the space isn't being used efficiently, he noted, with "a lot of deficient space" - where square-footage is less than it should be according to educational planning standards.
For Monroe High School, Kieckhafer said the proposal would include creating a new main office space adjacent to the main entrance. Visitors would have to buzz into the building and then enter into a secure waiting area where they would have to buzz into the office.
The proposal includes extending the building to the north to improve circulation to the lower level and cafeteria area. Kieckhafer said a new stairway would be added coming into the building that would go down to the lower level with the gym, cafeteria area and Performing Arts Center. The plan would include enlarging the ag department space, creating science space and art rooms, expanding the auto shop space, replacing the boys locker rooms, upgrading the library, PAC lighting and curtain, replacing the scoreboard and score clocks in the gym, upgrading lockers and expanding the cafeteria. The tennis courts at the high school would be demolished and a new set of tennis courts would be built.
At Monroe Middle School, Kieckhafer said all three phases of the upgrades include reconfiguring and expanding the main office, adding air conditioning to the gym, adding new bleachers in the new and older gym, replacing play area blacktop, creating flexible space, expanding the cafeteria and moving the music room.
For the proposed building improvements at Abe Lincoln, Kieckhafer listed reconfiguring and renovating the entryway so there is one definable entrance, reconfiguring pick-up and drop-off areas, upgrading classroom space, creating a large multi-purpose meeting room, renovating the kitchen, creating flex spaces throughout, creating a better layout for classes and offices, relocating the library to the center of the school, creating meeting space near the library and removing chillers from the boiler room.
Kieckhafer said Parkside Elementary School has a supervised entry at times, but "it's not continually monitored or secure."
Parkside's improvements include extending the canopy so the entry goes into a separate room before the office. Kieckhafer said the proposal also includes creating a new gym space and multi-purpose space and setting up a new drop-off and pick-up area designated for buses and parents taking their children to school.
The proposed upgrades at Northside Elementary School include renovating the entrance to the school, revising the food service area and renovating the kitchen area and restrooms so they are handicapped-accessible, Kieckhafer said. Other projects proposed include adding air conditioning in the gym and addressing a stormwater ponding issue around the building.
Kieckhafer said the proposal for a new entrance at Northside would include creating a new corridor that would lead into a part of the main office.
"It isn't our intent to think that this is a final proposal," Kieckhafer said.
Board member Dan Bartholf said the projects and maintenance needs will change 20 times or more during the advisory committee's work.
However, the two Milwaukee-based firms classified a $1.69 million portion as urgent and another $72.89 million as needing to be repaired within two to five years. The maintenance needs were ranked on a timeline of four options: urgent, two to five years, six to 10 years, or 10 or more years.
"The list that has been identified in the facilities study is comprehensive," Monroe District Administrator Rick Waski said. "The district knows it's not feasible to do all of these projects."
The district has formed a facilities study advisory committee with community members, teachers, administrators and school board members Jim Plourde and Rich Deprez. The committee will meet the first and third Wednesdays each month for the next several months to prioritize the maintenance projects and determine whether the district needs to pursue a referendum in November.
"The facilities study committee will make a recommendation to the board after they get feedback from the community and reach a consensus," Waski said.
Plunkett Raysich Architects and CG Schmidt spent several months documenting maintenance issues at each school building and looking at the educational-space needs at each school. The companies documented each area that was deficient for each school and gave three levels of renovations and concept projects to repair them, along with an in-depth cost estimate report.
Two problems across schools in the district are HVAC systems and providing a safe and monitored entrance.
"The one common thread and issue with a lot of the buildings is having a secure main entrance," Waski said.
With old unit vents, air handlers and pneumatic controls at Abraham Lincoln Elementary School, CG Schmidt advised the district do a major energy maintenance HVAC remodel in the near future. Options include a variable refrigerant flow system or a new four-pipe uni-vent system with controls with an estimated cost of $2.1 million. Eric Schmidt, vice president of CG Schmidt, also recommended the district replace the air conditioner at Parkside Elementary School.
"There are ongoing concerns about moisture and air movement," Schmidt said. "Just replacing the uni-vents won't address those concerns."
The main renovation design options developed for each school include three phases of renovations. The district may choose to complete all, some or none of the upgrades based on the facilities study committee's recommendation. CG Schmidt also looked at each school's roof and flooring to target potential estimates for future replacements.
Steven Kieckhafer, an architect who deals with educational spacing needs for Plunkett Raysich Architects, interviewed each principal in the district and talked with district administrators about their educational needs and the targeted and optimal class sizes in each school based on educational space planning standards.
For Abe Lincoln, Kieckhafer said the targeted class size for kindergarten through fifth grade is 22 students and the optimal class size is 20 students. In the district's three elementary schools, Kieckhafer said the enrollment is at 970 students, while the optimal capacity is 876 students and the max capacity is 982 students.
"You are at capacity in many cases and right at the edge of maximum capacity," Kieckhafer said of the elementary schools. "You don't have classroom space for growth."
Kieckhafer said there are no capacity issues at the high school and middle school.
"This is telling me we have extra space at the high school," he said. But more than half of the space isn't being used efficiently, he noted, with "a lot of deficient space" - where square-footage is less than it should be according to educational planning standards.
For Monroe High School, Kieckhafer said the proposal would include creating a new main office space adjacent to the main entrance. Visitors would have to buzz into the building and then enter into a secure waiting area where they would have to buzz into the office.
The proposal includes extending the building to the north to improve circulation to the lower level and cafeteria area. Kieckhafer said a new stairway would be added coming into the building that would go down to the lower level with the gym, cafeteria area and Performing Arts Center. The plan would include enlarging the ag department space, creating science space and art rooms, expanding the auto shop space, replacing the boys locker rooms, upgrading the library, PAC lighting and curtain, replacing the scoreboard and score clocks in the gym, upgrading lockers and expanding the cafeteria. The tennis courts at the high school would be demolished and a new set of tennis courts would be built.
At Monroe Middle School, Kieckhafer said all three phases of the upgrades include reconfiguring and expanding the main office, adding air conditioning to the gym, adding new bleachers in the new and older gym, replacing play area blacktop, creating flexible space, expanding the cafeteria and moving the music room.
For the proposed building improvements at Abe Lincoln, Kieckhafer listed reconfiguring and renovating the entryway so there is one definable entrance, reconfiguring pick-up and drop-off areas, upgrading classroom space, creating a large multi-purpose meeting room, renovating the kitchen, creating flex spaces throughout, creating a better layout for classes and offices, relocating the library to the center of the school, creating meeting space near the library and removing chillers from the boiler room.
Kieckhafer said Parkside Elementary School has a supervised entry at times, but "it's not continually monitored or secure."
Parkside's improvements include extending the canopy so the entry goes into a separate room before the office. Kieckhafer said the proposal also includes creating a new gym space and multi-purpose space and setting up a new drop-off and pick-up area designated for buses and parents taking their children to school.
The proposed upgrades at Northside Elementary School include renovating the entrance to the school, revising the food service area and renovating the kitchen area and restrooms so they are handicapped-accessible, Kieckhafer said. Other projects proposed include adding air conditioning in the gym and addressing a stormwater ponding issue around the building.
Kieckhafer said the proposal for a new entrance at Northside would include creating a new corridor that would lead into a part of the main office.
"It isn't our intent to think that this is a final proposal," Kieckhafer said.
Board member Dan Bartholf said the projects and maintenance needs will change 20 times or more during the advisory committee's work.